


Pretend There Is Nothing Outside This Room

by helens78



Series: Shameless [1]
Category: Batman (Movies - Nolan) RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prostitute, Alternate Universe - Slavery, M/M, Prostitution, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-02-09
Updated: 2009-02-09
Packaged: 2017-10-05 07:46:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/39376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helens78/pseuds/helens78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam hires Christian for the night, but when the night's over, he's interested in more than one night's work. Christian's never spent the night with someone who has this kind of money before, and money sometimes makes all the difference in the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pretend There Is Nothing Outside This Room

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing bits and pieces of the [Eclipse LLC](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/eclipse_llc) universe in summer 2008, after a friend bid on me in a charity auction to raise money for marriage equality. But I spent fall and winter 2008 struggling with writer's block, and this was one of the things that suffered.
> 
> Meanwhile, over on LJ, poisontaster and [darkrose](http://archiveofourown.org/users/darkrose) were hard at work on the stories in [What We Keep](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Keptverse), a shared universe that started out as Supernatural RPF and quickly branched out into Stargate Atlantis RPF as well as many other places. It would be crazy to say that reading those pieces didn't influence this writing in some way, and although the universes are very, very different-I'm still in the universe that I was writing in last summer-I definitely want to acknowledge that universe and their hard work in it. :)
> 
> This world isn't the What We Keep world, and it isn't our world. It's a world where the divide between rich and poor got worse (a future possibility we have yet to stave off for good), left society fragmented, and the people who bought Congress convinced them that re-instating an indentured servitude class--and legalizing prostitution--was a good way to provide income to people who might otherwise be left entirely unable to find food, clothing, shelter, and health care for their families. The results have been-mixed, to say the least. (I am, after all, writing porn--the world may be dystopian, but not every character is finding their situation intolerable.)
> 
> This is a many-years-before prequel to [You Believe What You're Saying](http://archiveofourown.org/works/33920) and [Shameless](http://archiveofourown.org/works/33786).

Liam gets to the parking lot off 11th Avenue around midnight. It's an ugly, wet sort of night, fog already rolling in, mist covering everything. There's little to choose from on nights like tonight, but the boys who are out are doing their damnedest to make a sale.

Around here they're unlicensed, off the books. Liam glances around at the other cars in the lot, wondering if the men and women inside them are people he'd know or recognize. He doubts it. There's a certain revolving-door aspect to the lot; boys get into cars, shadows move, boys get out. Most of them don't look any worse for wear, but he knows most boys like this are good at looking tough.

The few seconds he's lost in thought are enough for one of them to sneak up on him, getting close and leaning down to look through Liam's passenger window. He raps a knuckle against the glass; Liam rolls the window down.

The boy props his forearms on the door and leans in enough that they can get a good look at each other--or as good as it gets, given the lack of light. He doesn't seem too thin, but the shadows hollow out his cheekbones, making his face look angular and sharp. It's a look he'll have to grow into, but God, he could be handsome when he's grown. Liam's by no means immune to that, and the boy grins--he can probably smell the interest on Liam. He can probably smell the money, too, given that he's leaning into a Mercedes. "I know you aren't just here to look."

"Say I'm not," Liam tells him. "What are you offering?"

"Open her up," the boy says. "Let's talk price."

Liam unlocks the passenger door. "I can afford you."

The boy's lips tighten into a thin line, but he gets into the car. "I'm sure you can," he says, reaching over and sliding his hand onto Liam's knee.

"Not here," Liam says. He pulls out of the lot without asking if that's all right, though he glances over to see if the boy's panicking. He isn't. He also isn't taking his hand off Liam's knee; Liam gets less than a block before the boy reaches for his cock, squeezing a few times before searching for his zipper.

"Where are we going? Or do you just like to get off while you're driving?"

Liam stops him, moving the boy's hand back up to Liam's thigh. "I want you overnight," he says. "I'll take you wherever you want to go in the morning."

The boy pauses. "It'll cost you."

"You don't really think I care what it costs me, do you?"

Liam can sense him taking in his surroundings, probably more seriously than he had since noticing Liam's Mercedes. Liam's in a $4000 three-piece suit and a trenchcoat to match, leather driving gloves, glasses that someone observant might recognize as designer. The car's spotless, only a few months off the lot.

"What's your name, boy?"

The boy pulls away from Liam and actually reaches for his seat belt; Liam grins. "Christian," he mutters.

"I'm Liam."

They don't say anything else for quite some time. Liam gets them out of the city and over the bridge; he doesn't stop midway through at the island, but goes on until he's into one of the waterfront neighborhoods. He can sense Christian getting tense, and a glance at him shows that he's taking in the route. It's a little far to walk away from, but he's sure Christian's making plans just in case he has to run. It shows foresight Liam doesn't often see.

"Is there someone you'd like to call?"

"What for?" Christian snaps. "I'm not enough for you?"

"To let them know where you are," Liam says calmly.

A small bark of a laugh gets past Christian's lips, but he shakes his head. "There's no one."

"I'm not expecting you to trust me."

"Well, that's good to hear; I'm not planning on it."

Liam presses a button on his dashboard and turns into a hidden driveway. The gate swings open for him as he reaches it. It takes a minute or so to get from the gate to the garage, during which Liam watches Christian out of the corner of his eye. Christian's frowning, though at this point the seclusion can't possibly be surprising him; all the property on the waterfront is bordered by old-growth evergreens and dense forest, giving owners all the privacy they could possibly want. Too much privacy, maybe, if you're an unlicensed street whore with no idea where he is. There's a reason Liam suggested Christian call someone, and Liam suspects Christian's going to rethink his answer once they get inside--assuming he actually has someone to call.

Liam opens the last garage door and parks in the closest space to the house. He catches Christian looking into the darkness and trying to figure out what else Liam's got in his six-car garage. Once they're out of the car, he holds the door to the house open for Christian and then slips out of his trenchcoat, leaving it on the coat rack in the entryway. The entryway itself is probably bigger than wherever Christian lives, but Liam doesn't wait for Christian to get his bearings; he goes to the kitchen and takes off his suit jacket, slipping it over the back of one of the chairs at the island.

"Are you hungry?"

"Just for you," Christian says, smirking. Liam rolls his eyes and goes to the refrigerator while Christian sits down at the island. Brittany won't like the fact that Liam's touching anything in the kitchen, but the least he can provide is cold cuts and bread for sandwiches. He puts an assortment of things in front of Christian and gets him a bottle of water, too.

"Go on. We can talk expectations while you're eating."

"It's your money," Christian says. He's dropped the let's-get-it-on look and quickly assembles a sandwich. He's careful not to wolf it down, but Liam's reasonably sure it's been more than a few hours since his last meal. In clear light, Christian's cheekbones are sharp enough to indicate he's not eating as regularly as he ought to be, which is a shame. Looking him over, Liam can imagine how good he'd look with some weight to him. Boys like Christian always try to look younger than they are, so Christian's dressed in tattered jeans, a t-shirt, and a denim jacket, but looking at him more closely, Liam wonders how old he really is. He'd believe sixteen; he'd believe nineteen.

He's not going to ask right now, though. He waits as Christian finishes his sandwich and his water, and he loosens his tie and unbuttons his vest and the top button of his shirt, rolling up his shirtsleeves while he's at it. "You've been very open-ended about your offers. All you're asking about is money," he says. "What is it you think I want?"

Christian shrugs. "Fuck me, get blown, maybe you want someone to sleep on. Or maybe you're one of those guys who starts off with Viagra and wants to get his money's worth out of it." He smirks again.

"Maybe I'm into something heavier."

Christian's smirk goes away, slowly, and he nods. No surprise there, Liam imagines. "You still willing to let me call someone?"

Liam goes over to the kitchen phone and scribbles down the address and phone number on a piece of paper there; he hands the phone and the paper to Christian. "I'll give you some privacy," he says.

He gives Christian five minutes; when he comes back, the phone's been put away, the note with Liam's address on it is gone, and Christian's halfway through another sandwich. He's helped himself to another bottle of water, but Liam doesn't worry about what else might be missing from the kitchen. There aren't a lot of places Christian could hide anything, and he's not going to be in those clothes much longer.

"What are you into?" Christian asks.

"It's more of what I'm into tonight." Christian nods, and Liam goes on. "Tonight I'd like to get you into some leather and move you around by it. You'll be bound, one way or another, most of the evening, but I'm not planning to hurt you."

One of Christian's eyebrows goes up. "You don't think fucking me's going to hurt?"

Liam's not sure whether Christian's trying to flatter him or not, so he simply takes the statement as a matter of fact. "Not beyond the usual, I suppose. I'm not going to be going after you with pain in mind. I don't plan on bruising you."

"Good sex sometimes leaves bruises anyway," Christian says. There's that smirk again. It doesn't matter that Christian's talking in clich ; Liam can already imagine how collateral damage could leave bruises, and how Christian would push through the pain with bravado, maybe taunting if Liam doesn't gag him.

He rests his hands on the countertop and leans on it. "Does any of that sound like something you can't handle?"

This time Christian rolls his eyes. "You make it sound like I've never been anyone's boy before." Liam looks hard at him, and Christian leans forward himself. "What are you looking for? A boy? A bitch? A slave? Someone to call you 'daddy'?"

"Probably not that last one," Liam says. In spite of the way he's taking Christian's questions--seriously--Christian doesn't back down, and after a moment, Liam nods at him. "Go ahead and finish eating. We'll get you cleaned up afterward."

It doesn't take Christian long. Liam puts the dishes and the rest of the food away, then leads Christian up to the master bedroom--Christian pauses as he notices the mirrored wall opposite the bed, but he looks away fast and keeps following--and through it to the bathroom. If Christian notices that one of the walk-in closets has no shelves and no rods, but it _does_ have a small futon and a nightstand, he doesn't comment. Maybe some of his boasting is truthful; maybe he's actually been around men or women who own slaves.

Liam goes over to the bathtub and starts the water running, testing it to make sure it's warm but not scalding. He takes a seat on the edge of the tub and eyes Christian head-to-foot.

"Take your clothes off," Liam says quietly. "Nothing fancy."

Christian takes a deep breath--almost as if to steady himself, so perhaps Liam was right in the first place about his boasting being mostly for show--and slips his jacket off his shoulders. He lets it fall to the floor behind him, then slips his shoes and socks off. He kicks them slightly to his side and gets his t-shirt off; he's about as thin as Liam expected, obviously not starving or malnourished, but he'd benefit from having healthy, regular meals. It's still impossible to tell how old he is.

He holds his arms out to his sides and turns in a circle; he's not smirking, but he is letting Liam get a good, long look. Liam exhales softly, imagining what Christian's going to look like once he's cuffed and collared. _Maybe suspension cuffs later on. God, he'd look good that way._

When Christian's facing him again, Liam nods at him to continue, and Christian moves to his jeans. They practically fall off his body as soon as he's gotten his belt unbuckled, and Liam isn't surprised he isn't wearing any underwear. He's surprised Christian's half-hard; he wouldn't have expected Christian to be interested in anything but the prospect of being paid, not at this stage, anyway. Still, that'll make things easier. Much easier, and much more fun.

Liam motions Christian over; the tub's half-full by now. "Tell me if it's too hot."

Christian goes his knees to test the water out, and Liam's breath stutters, seeing the motion. Not just for show, then. Not entirely. Kneeling, and kneeling well, is a familiar motion to this boy, and it makes Liam wonder where he learned it. Christian glances at Liam out of the corner of his eye, and for all that Liam expects a smirk, he doesn't get one. Christian simply nods at the water. "It's fine," he says. "Want me in it?"

"Yes."

Christian steps carefully into the tub and stretches out in it, leaning back and closing his eyes. Liam gets a bar of soap, a small bottle of shampoo, and a soft washcloth, and he comes back to Christian, settling down at the side of the tub and trailing his hand through the water. Christian inhales sharply, but he doesn't flinch away, and he doesn't open his eyes. He waits while Liam makes contact, finally touching the center of Christian's chest and stroking gently.

The tub's full enough. Liam turns around and shuts the water off, then turns back to Christian. Christian's looking at him now, eyes half-closed, breath coming a bit too rapidly for Liam to believe he's as relaxed as he's pretending to be. He's also more than half hard, and getting harder. Liam slips his hand down Christian's side and runs it around to the inside of his thigh, running his thumb across the muscle there as Christian spreads his legs.

Liam's arm is deep enough in the water now that his sleeve is getting wet, but he doesn't stop touching Christian.

"Pretty big tub," Christian murmurs. "You don't want to join me?"

"Not just yet," Liam says. He pulls back and picks up one of the nearby towels, drying his arm off. "But I'm going to get damp if I stay dressed."

Christian watches as Liam takes his clothes off. Liam's not being showy about it, either, and he doesn't turn in a circle the way Christian did. He's neater about his clothes than Christian was, folding them and putting them on one of the countertops. When he's done, he leaves his glasses and his watch on the pile of clothes and walks back over to the bathtub, spreading a towel out over the tile before sitting down again.

And either Christian's a better actor than Liam's been giving him credit for, or he's finally given in and let himself be interested in all this. Maybe Liam's body, the care he takes with it, was enough to make him decide he's going to get more out of the night than some money and a bit of life experience. In any case, when Liam slides his hand down Christian's chest this time, Christian's hips move up, cock bobbing in the water and brushing against Liam's wrist.

"I'll get to that eventually," Liam says. "Let me have your arm for now."

They don't talk as Liam bathes him; Liam only speaks when he needs to direct Christian to do something, move or turn or duck under the water to rinse off. Christian doesn't speak at all. Liam doesn't mind; he's getting a chance to watch Christian, to see how he's paying close attention to all the orders he's getting, and it only takes telling him once to get him to do anything Liam requires.

_Keep thinking along those lines and you'll end up taking in another stray._

"We're finished," Liam says. If Christian's disappointed that his cock and balls didn't get more attention, he doesn't show it. He climbs out of the tub and lets Liam wrap a towel around him; Liam dries his own arms off, too, and lets the water out of the tub.

"Well," Christian says. "What's next?"

Liam takes Christian into his closet--his real closet--and looks through drawers until he finds the particular set of cuffs and collar he's looking for. They're all black, neatly rounded edges, sturdy. He gets the leash as well--inch-wide leather, three feet long--and hands everything to Christian.

"Bed," Liam says.

"You're not expecting me to crawl." Christian arches an eyebrow.

Liam smiles at him. Not fazed by all the leather, then. "Not now I'm not."

Once they're over at the bed, Liam sorts through the leather while Christian glances at the mirror again--briefly; he's still not looking at it for long--and then takes in the bed itself. One side of his mouth curls up when he notices all the metal rods worked into the design of the bedframe. "You forgot double clips," he says.

"I don't want you immobile tonight. Just cuffed."

"Just cuffed," Christian repeats, looking at the collar and the leash.

"Cuffed and decorated." Liam grins at him. "Wrists first."

Christian holds them out to him, palms up. Liam puts one of the cuffs on him and checks its movement; it's loose enough to turn a bit, but not enough to rotate all the way around. "How does that feel?"

The look Christian shoots him is one Liam can't quite interpret. "It's fine."

_Test the waters,_ Liam thinks. "Is it how you like it?"

There's that look again, a bit darker this time. "It'll do."

Interesting. The situation's turning Christian on--his body's giving that much away--but he's defensive about being in cuffs. Liam decides he'll give it more thought later; he's got another three cuffs to put on Christian, plus the collar. He moves to the other wrist and matches the fit there, double-checking with a glance to Christian's face when he's done.

"Lie down," he says. He slides down the bed and trails his fingers down Christian's leg, hip to ankle, and puts the first ankle cuff on him. When he leans forward to repeat the motion with Christian's other leg, he slides his hand between Christian's legs, getting them spread apart a bit, and strokes his palm over Christian's balls and then up the length of his cock. Christian's fully hard, precome welling up at the tip of his cock, and Liam wraps his hand fully around Christian's cock, gives it a squeeze. It makes Christian groan softly, and the sound doesn't sound false to Liam.

_All right, enough of that. You'll never get him cuffed at this rate._ He moves back down to Christian's ankle and fastens the second cuff on, glancing up when he's done. Christian's staring up at the ceiling, lips parted, breath coming fast. Liam puts a hand over the ankle cuff and squeezes gently.

"Talk to me. What is it?"

"It's nothing," Christian says quickly. Liam squeezes a little harder, and Christian closes his eyes for a moment before looking down at him. "You're good at this."

Liam grins at him. "Not what you were expecting?"

"No."

"Perhaps you could stop thinking of me as a night's work and simply enjoy yourself."

"You're still a night's work."

Liam nods; point taken. He fastens the other ankle cuff on, and takes the collar and leash in one hand as he climbs up the bed, crawling on top of Christian, thighs parting Christian's so he can rest his weight between them. Christian stays still, looking up at Liam with narrowed eyes. Liam reaches for one of Christian's wrists and pins it above his head, then lets the collar and leash go so he can slip his other hand behind Christian's neck, thumb wrapping around in front to trace up and down the center of his throat.

"You're good at this, too."

Christian shudders underneath him, cock jerking against Liam's thigh. "I can't--would you--Christ, come _on_ already," Christian says, and Liam grins down at him for a split-second before shifting his hand from Christian's throat to his shoulder, pinning him down all the harder before kissing him. Christian kisses back, rough and deep and hungry, but it's clear he's holding something back, and Liam keeps kissing him, keeps him pinned down, trying to figure out what it is.

He breaks the kiss and nuzzles Christian's face to the side, kissing down his neck. Christian's almost trembling now, and Liam takes his other wrist in hand, pinning it above his head, too. Christian spreads his legs wider and rocks his hips up, and Liam presses down with his own. He eases back so he can see Christian's face. Christian's eyes are closed.

"I want that collar on you," Liam growls. Christian swallows hard but nods, and Liam kneels up and climbs off Christian. He grabs Christian by the wrist and pulls, and Christian sits; Liam pushes him around, roughly, until they're facing the side of the room that's floor-to-ceiling mirrors. Christian turns his face away, but Liam's there behind him, and he reaches around and grips Christian's jaw, forcing him to face forward. Christian stares straight ahead, eyes meeting Liam's in the mirror.

Liam takes the collar and wraps it around Christian's neck. He's much faster, much rougher than he was with the cuffs, but he can't help it; now he _needs_ that collar on Christian, needs to see him with that mark of ownership on his body, even if Liam's only going to own him for the night. He does check to be sure it's not too tight, and Christian turns his head back and forth, then nods once, sharply.

Liam puts his hands on Christian's shoulders and squeezes, just looking at him in the mirror, looking at the two of them. Liam's more in shadows than Christian is, and he can see his hands on Christian's bare skin, the possessive way he's hanging onto the boy. Right now Christian looks like a boy who'd be worth owning, and Liam shoves him around until Christian's facing him, grabbing for the O-ring in the front of his collar. He hooks two fingers into it and pulls Christian forward, kissing him hard, almost brutally, and this time Christian simply opens up under Liam's mouth, letting him in. Liam groans--_God, he's good when he when he lets himself be_\--and reaches out blindly for the leash. When he finds it, he hooks it into the O-ring, not breaking the kiss; he curls the leather around his hand, reeling it in until he's holding Christian immobile by it.

"That's it," Liam whispers. He pushes Christian away, gently. "Come off the bed, now. I want you kneeling." He doesn't let go of the leash, though, only giving Christian enough slack to back off the bed and kneel by the side of it. Liam stands up, positions them so he can see their profile in the mirror, and draws Christian's mouth up level with his cock. He takes his cock in his hand and rests the head of it against Christian's lips. "Open," he says. "Suck me."

Christian obeys, tongue making a fast swipe over his lips to wet them, and then he's swallowing Liam's cock down, tongue flicking hard against the underside as he takes as much as he can. It's not all of it--if he were Liam's, Liam would make sure to train him to take all of it--but it's enough, and watching him in the mirror, Liam can see how he puts his hands behind his back, how he spreads his legs so his kneel can be as stable as possible. If he hasn't done this before, he's got incredible instincts. If he _has_ done this before, some owner let him go instead of sending him on to training. _Why the hell would anyone do that?_

The first few strokes are quick, with Christian driving himself forward and then backing up fast. Liam holds Christian still the next time he comes forward, taking up the slack from the leash, and uses his other hand to run his fingers through Christian's hair. "Steady," he murmurs. "Slow down."

He gives Christian a little slack, and Christian backs off nice and slow, lips tight around Liam's shaft, tongue flicking up against the head. "Much better," Liam whispers. He drags Christian forward again, and this time Christian lets him do it instead of trying to control the pace himself. More slack, then; another slow, licking tease as Christian backs off, and another hard pull on the leash to get Liam's cock buried in Christian's mouth again.

"Good boy," Liam says softly. "Faster, now." And he speeds up, getting his other hand into Christian's hair so he can drag him backward as well as forward. Christian gives up on licking and keeps his mouth open for Liam, holding still while Liam drives in. He gags when Liam pushes in too deep, and Liam backs off, letting the leash go slack. "Go on," he growls. "Show me what you can do."

Christian looks up at Liam for a moment, then starts sucking hard, pushing forward, licking back and forth against the underside of Liam's cock. Liam's fingers tighten in Christian's hair, but he forces himself not to hold Christian still. The whole point's to see what Christian does with a little freedom if he's got it, and Christian's making damn good use of it. He scrapes his teeth lightly down Liam's shaft, making Liam hiss, and then he does it again, a little rougher. Liam jerks him forward with the leash and keeps him there for a few seconds. "If I want your teeth," he says, "I'll tell you."

When Christian backs off, he keeps his teeth out of the way. Liam grins at him and lets him lead again, lets Christian go faster and faster with hard, solid sucks on the head of his cock every time he draws back, until Liam has to stop him or risk coming down his throat. It's too soon for that.

He pulls Christian off him and holds onto his leash, panting as he keeps Christian still. Christian licks his lips, which is almost enough to make Liam reconsider, but no--he wants more than a blowjob.

He gives Christian a bit more slack on the leash and then tugs gently until Christian's on his feet. "Good boy," he says. "Let's see if your ass is half as good as your mouth."

"At least half," Christian says, voice hoarse.

Liam laughs. He pushes Christian down over the bed and drags his arms behind him. He puts the leash in Christian's hands. "Hold that," he says. Christian wraps it around his hands and holds on hard; Liam goes to the nightstand and grabs out a condom and lube. He slicks up two fingers, then, thinking better of it, three, and warms the lube as much as he can before putting his fingers at Christian's hole. "Open up," he murmurs, putting his other hand on the inside of Christian's thigh. "Spread those legs for me. That's it. Good boy." He presses three fingers into Christian's ass and grins when Christian clenches up hard around him. Liam twists his fingers, making Christian groan.

"You don't do this unless you have to, do you?" Liam asks softly. "Unless it's all you can find for the night?"

"Don't know what you're talking about," Christian pants. He's not a good liar. "Come on, then. Come on."

Liam gets the condom on and slicks more lube over his cock. He puts a hand on Christian's wrists and pins him down. "You can fight this if you need to," he murmurs. "I've got you."

Christian doesn't fight at first, but as Liam pushes in deeper and deeper, he starts making sounds again. It's only a little at first, only a few grunts, but then Liam's halfway there and he can see beads of sweat breaking out across Christian's shoulders. Christian yells out as Liam keeps going, yells as he gives Christian another inch, and another, and when Liam's nearly all the way in, he tightens his grip on Christian's wrists. "Now," Liam growls out, "you're _mine_," and he shoves in the last inch and Christian _fights_. He fights and twists and yells and shoves forward first, then back, only succeeding in fucking himself on Liam's cock in his urge to get away. Liam bends forward and puts his free hand on the back of Christian's neck, hips moving back that last inch and fucking forward again, then again, harder until Christian's screams have gone from--what? fear, pain, anger he couldn't keep down?--to something more primal, more urgent; he's fucking himself on Liam's cock on purpose now, and he's shouting himself hoarse.

Liam draws back further and drives in harder, and now Christian gets a word out: "_Yes._" Liam grins down at him, giving him the same hard, fast stroke, again and again until Christian's found the rhythm and started pushing back against Liam's hips every time he goes in deep. Liam lets go of Christian's wrists, lets go of his neck, braces himself on either side of Christian's body, and Christian gets his forearms underneath him, levering himself up and giving back as good as he's getting. Liam growls out loud and gets his hand into the back of Christian's collar, wraps an arm around Christian's waist, fucking him and claiming him all at once.

He's gone maybe half a dozen strokes that way when Christian shoves himself half-upright and reaches back for him, grabs at Liam's hips, and Christian shouts out a string of curses and comes in pulses all over Liam's bed. Liam groans and pulls out, pushes Christian away from him, spinning him around so he can put Christian down on his back and press his legs up. He takes a second to look him over--God, beautiful, the boy's beautiful--and then pushes in again, ramming in hard as Christian's face screws up with the pain of overstimulation, and it isn't long before Liam's making fists in the bedcovers and shouting out his own climax, pumping in one last time as his cock jerks with the last of his orgasm.

He rests there a few minutes, dripping sweat onto Christian's body, catching his breath. Christian groans after a while, stretching his hands out above his head, twining his fingers together, and Liam runs a hand down Christian's side, thumb resting in the hollow of his hip.

"We talked about having you stay the night," Liam murmurs. "Last chance to change your mind."

"I'm game if you are," Christian whispers back.

Liam wipes the sweat off his face. "All right. I'm not taking the cuffs or collar off you yet."

Christian only nods. Liam unhooks the leash, drapes it over one of the bedposts, and runs his hands through his hair as he stands up straight and then arches his back to stretch. "Get cleaned up," he says.

Pushing himself up on his elbows, Christian looks up at Liam. "Can't stand yet," he says. "Give me a minute."

Liam goes over to the wet bar in the corner and gets a bottle of water out of the mini-fridge. He drains half of it before bringing the rest back to Christian, who downs some of the rest and finally manages to stand. He's shaky at first as he makes his way to the bathroom, but by the time he gets there, he's moving like it doesn't hurt him a bit.

* * * * *

Christian wakes up a dozen times overnight. The cuffs and collar are unfamiliar and distracting; Liam's still an unknown. Christian knows better than to think he's safe here.

When morning finally comes, Christian rolls out of bed and heads for the bathroom to take a piss. He blinks when he realizes his clothes are missing -- but then so are Liam's, and his watch and glasses are nowhere to be seen.

Christian finishes up in the bathroom but pauses at the sink; there's a new toothbrush--still in the package--laid out alongside a small tube of toothpaste. He shrugs--his mouth does taste pretty foul at this point--and brushes his teeth, even flossing when he notices the travel-size reel of floss that's been left out for him. _What is this guy? A dentist?_

It's also creepy to think someone could be wandering through the bedroom without Christian noticing--and he still doesn't know where his clothes are. Maybe Liam rearranged things? No, Christian's a light sleeper; if Liam had been up and around, he'd have noticed.

There's a low murmur from the other room--Liam's awake, talking to someone. Christian walks back in, but the mysterious servant or slave or whatever isn't in sight; Liam's on the phone.

"Go ahead and send the file," Liam says. "And then breakfast for two--" He looks Christian up and down. "No, for three to be safe. Thank you, Paul." Christian doesn't say anything. "Well," Liam says. "Are you in a hurry to go?"

Christian shrugs. "Nowhere I need to be. I need to check in with my friend if I'm staying past noon."

"Why don't you go ahead and do that while we wait for breakfast? There's a phone in the slave's quarters if you'd like privacy."

Slave's quarters. That is what the little room is, then; Christian wondered. He glances into it. It isn't much bigger than an average walk-in closet; in fact, it may once have been a closet. It has a futon and a nightstand with a lamp and a phone, and from what he can tell, the door doesn't lock from the outside. "All right," he says. "Just a minute."

He closes the door behind him and dials home. Ger picks up after two rings, cursing before he's even got the phone to his ear. "--the fuck's so important this early in the morning?"

"It's me."

Ger pauses. "You all right?"

"Getting paid. It's fine. I'm still with the guy from last night."

"Think you'll be staying over again tonight?"

"No," Christian says, then sighs. "Maybe. I don't know yet. If I'm staying, I'll let you know by nine."

"Okay."

It feels warmer in the closet than it did when Christian first walked in; his skin's starting to crawl from the enclosed space. "Later," he says. He doesn't wait for Ger to answer before hanging up and getting out of there.

It doesn't seem like it's been more than a minute, but Liam's got a tray on the bed now. Coffee, bacon, eggs, toast. "Hungry?" Liam asks.

"Enough to eat." Christian sits down beside Liam and starts with the coffee. It's even better than it smells. They spend a few minutes eating together in silence, which isn't as awkward as Christian expected, and when the trays are clear, Liam puts them aside and turns to look at Christian.

"How long would you like to stay here?"

Christian stares at him. "Stay."

"I can assure you the money will be far better here than you could possibly do on the street. I can find a use for you for quite a while if you care to take me up on it."

Christian feels himself flushing--anger, embarrassment, things he doesn't want to think about. He pushes the emotion aside and forces himself to meet Liam's eyes. "Whatever you may be thinking about me after last night--"

"Am I wrong in thinking that it aroused you? Your body was quite clear on that."

"The sex was good," Christian concedes, "but I don't--I'm not--"

Liam waits for him to finish. Christian sighs. "This isn't me," he says at last. When Liam still doesn't respond, Christian glares at him. He's not stupid; he has to know what Christian's getting at, but the asshole's making him say it anyway. "You've obviously had slaves before, and good for you, good for you that you can afford them, but some people are cut out to be slaves, and some aren't. I'm not."

"You did a damn good job last night."

"I'm sure you think that's a compliment."

"It was."

Christian shakes his head, which just reminds him of the collar he's wearing. He growls under his breath and reaches up to find the buckle.

Liam comes forward and grabs him by the O-ring on the front of his collar. Christian gasps, but before he can even try to get his hands on Liam's shoulders to push him away, Liam's shoving him onto his back, pinning him with his body weight and one hand on his throat. Liam's thighs are warm and bare against Christian's, and for Christ's sake, Christian was half-hard to begin with and his cock's decided to go the rest of the way, too.

"You're raw," Liam says, "and you're young, but you could be exceptional if you wanted to be."

"And you want to teach me, is that it?"

"I'm not much of a mentor," Liam says, smiling slightly. "I'd rather just own people."

"You're going to have to settle for renting me," Christian says, trying to make it sound firm. His body's giving him away, though; Liam's worked his way between Christian's legs, and Christian's not doing so well at holding still. Liam feels good--all that warm skin all over Christian's body--and even the hand on Christian's throat is a turn-on right now. _Damn it. Is he right about me?_

Liam notices the shudder that runs through Christian, and he takes his hand off Christian's throat and works it between them instead, getting his hand around Christian's cock and then--_Jesus_\--taking his own cock in that hand, too, and rubbing them together, none too gently. Christian gasps and arches underneath Liam, and Liam bends his head down to lick the side of Christian's neck, half over the collar and half over Christian's skin. Christian's hands come up to Liam's shoulders--_off, off, get him off you before you can't anymore_\--but the instinct to push Liam away vanishes with the next stroke down his cock, and he ends up curling his fingernails into Liam's shoulders and holding him there. Liam hisses--not expecting that, maybe--and there's just a hint of surprise and pain in the sound. Christian spreads his legs wider and thrusts up against Liam's fingers. "Yeah," Christian groans, "yeah, c'mon--"

Liam looks down at Christian, understanding lighting his eyes, and he grins down at Christian in a way that makes Christian go stock-still. That grin's the scariest fucking thing Liam's done to him so far, and Christian isn't sure how to deal with it. He doesn't get the chance, either, because Liam speeds up his strokes and tightens his grip and Christian damn near goes blind with the pleasure of it, riding out the strokes, no thought in his mind of holding back--why the hell would he hold back when Liam so obviously wants him to come all over the both of them?

And he does; his come ends up hot and sticky between them, and Liam takes his hand off their cocks just long enough to get a palmful of the stuff so he can smear that down both shafts. Christian's nails dig into Liam's shoulders again--that _hurts_ now--but soon enough Liam stops, wiping his hand on the sheet and climbing off Christian.

"I'll take the cuffs and collar off so you can shower," he says. Christian blinks up at him, but Liam's already moved to his ankles and taken off the cuffs there, and soon Christian's free of all the leather and sitting up, still staring at Liam. There are crescent marks on Liam's shoulders, dark red, and Christian flinches as he looks at them--God, he hopes Liam's not going to be pissed off when he sees them. It doesn't look like he broke the skin anywhere, though, so they ought to fade soon enough.

"Are you sure you don't want to..." He licks his lips and looks down at Liam's cock. "I could suck you." It'd give the marks time to fade, at least.

"You'll do that later." Liam stands up and holds a hand out to Christian. "Come on. Shower."

Christian's worrying turns out to be for nothing. Liam doesn't even notice the fingernail marks on his shoulders, and they obviously don't cause him any discomfort when they get into the shower; the soap doesn't appear to sting. Unlike the bath from last night, this time Liam's anything but gentle, rubbing Christian roughly all over with a washcloth and manhandling him into different positions to clean him up. Christian freezes in place, muscles locked and tense, when Liam makes him brace himself against the shower tile and kicks his legs apart, but all Liam does is rub a washcloth between his legs and then up between his asscheeks--he doesn't even go in with a finger, and soon enough he's on to the next position, and Christian relaxes.

Liam's no more gentle with himself than he was with Christian, and in a few minutes the shower's over. Liam shuts off the water and snakes a hand out the door to grab the towels hanging on the rod there; he gives one to Christian and keeps the other. There's enough room in the shower for both of them to dry off. This is by far the richest house Christian's ever been in, and he'd be crazy not to be tempted by Liam's offer. Even if it only lasts a couple of weeks, it'll be a couple of weeks in a place where the hot water doesn't run out and there's more than enough food.

But when they get out of the shower, when Christian's run a comb through his hair and Liam's combed his own hair and shaved, it's right back out to the other room, where there's a stack of clothes waiting on the bed. They're not Christian's clothes, but the thin leather collar on top of them makes it pretty obvious who they're for.

"Leave the collar off. I'll do that," Liam says as he walks into his closet. Christian takes a quick look through the rest of the clothes--t-shirt, new jeans, boxer-briefs. All in his sizes. So he'll get free food and free clothes out of this; again, it's hard to argue with that. He's almost convinced himself to forget about the collar when Liam comes back into the bedroom, and if he looked good in last night's suit, he looks better today in jeans and boots and a t-shirt with a leather vest over it.

He picks up the collar and gestures at Christian to turn around. Christian does it, but his jaw's set as Liam puts the collar on him. This is what rich men like Liam do for fun: pull someone off the street and treat him like a slave until the boy either gives in or can't stand it anymore. _Better not expect me to be one of the boys who gives in._

Liam finishes with the collar. It's neither as tight nor as heavy as the one Christian slept in, but he's not going to forget it's there anytime soon, either. Christian makes sure to get his jaw unclenched as he turns to look at Liam again. "All right," he says. "Now what?"

"Come along downstairs and I'll introduce you to the household. There aren't many of us, but you may run into the servants while you're here, so you might as well know them by name."

Christian shrugs. "If you say so."

Downstairs the servants are already gathered up in the kitchen. As Liam said, there aren't many; just four. There's a fortyish brown-haired man named Paul--Christian remembers the name from the phone call earlier--whom Liam introduces as his butler. "I do the arranging and planning stuff," Paul says as they shake hands. "You need anything while you're here, just let me know."

Then there's Brittany, a twenty-something woman who runs the kitchen, and Jeff and Karl, who handle cleanup, shopping, and house maintenance, including vehicles. It doesn't seem like a lot of people to run a household, but Christian doesn't really give a damn about the details. He knows what _he's_ here for, after all, and so does everyone else. None of them seem to be looking down on him, though, which is more than he expected. Liam must bring home boys more often than Christian figured.

Once he's met everyone, there's not much to do but hang out with Liam, which is a strange proposition to say the least. Liam isn't interested in fucking him right now--at least, Christian's pretty sure Liam'd tell him to get naked if that was what he wanted--so they end up in the living room, where there's a wall-sized screen and a few bookshelves full of things to read. He wonders if Liam's got e-readers, too. If so, they're not on display. Old-style books are still a little more impressive to look at, Christian guesses; a few hundred books make more of an impact than one tiny e-reader, even if the e-readers hold a hell of a lot more data.

In any event, Christian ignores the media center and starts looking over the books; Liam stretches out in an armchair and puts his feet up on an ottoman.

"You're welcome to anything you want while you're here," Liam says. "Do you enjoy reading?"

"When I get a chance," Christian says absently. The books are organized; nonfiction on one shelf, fiction on another. Christian recognizes one of the fiction authors; there are a few books by her he hasn't read, so he picks one out and heads for the couch, sprawling out and looking up at Liam. "This is what you're paying for? You want me to lie here and read?"

"For now. I'll tell you when I want more."

Christian nods, shrugs, starts reading. Free clothes, free food, comfortable couch, a library. It's like Liam wants him to get used to this, wants him to be seduced by the easy life. _Nice try. I'm still not anyone's slave._

Liam's got a book himself, and for a while, they spend some time reading in silence. It's not a bad way to spend a morning, all in all. After a while, though, Christian can feel Liam's eyes on him, and he puts his book down, looking over at Liam with his eyebrows raised.

"You want something?"

"Yes," Liam murmurs. "Come over here."

Christian smirks. "Thought so," he says, climbing off the couch and wandering over to Liam's side, sliding his hands into his pockets. "How do you want me?"

Liam shoves the ottoman forward and nods at it. "Take a seat."

Christian sits down facing him, legs spread. Liam nods. "Jerk off."

"You get off on watching, don't you?" Christian asks. He's not stalling, though; he gets his cock out and starts jerking it.

"Not just watching," Liam murmurs, but that's all he's doing right now--watching. "Slow down."

Christian licks his lips and makes his rhythm more showy, more of a tease. He could keep this up for quite a while, and from the way Liam's looking at him, he realizes he might have to. It could chafe if he's at it long enough. He wonders if Liam's got lube downstairs. Probably somewhere.

After a while, though, Liam leans forward, elbows on his knees. He gestures with one hand and says, "Move back further." When Christian moves back on the ottoman, Liam shakes his head--"The whole damn thing"--and Christian stops what he's doing to move the ottoman back a few feet.

It doesn't prepare him at all for Liam coming down on his knees and sucking Christian's cock into his mouth. Christian gasps and gets both hands into Liam's hair, and for the first few blinding, amazing thrusts, Liam lets him--just lets Christian bury his cock in Liam's mouth and hold him there, hold him down.

But after a few seconds of that, Liam grabs Christian's wrists and pins them down to the ottoman. Christian can't exactly complain. He can still rock his hips up; he can still watch what it looks like when a man Liam's size is down on his knees that way. And Liam's good, too; he's got all of Christian's cock, and he's not choking on it. Christian moans, pulling at Liam's grip on his wrists. "More," he groans. "God. _Faster._"

Liam ignores him. Christian starts pumping his hips, pushing roughly into Liam's mouth, speeding up. Liam shifts his hands to Christian's thighs and pins them down, but that leaves Christian's hands free to clutch at Liam's hair again. Liam pulls away altogether, laughing.

"Hands down," he says, pushing Christian's hands behind him. "Lean back. And don't move."

"Don't move. Right," Christian says, panting. He rests his weight on his hands, though, and when Liam goes back to sucking his cock, he closes his eyes and forces himself not to move. It doesn't stop him from fantasizing, though, from imagining what it'd be like if he _could_ bury his hands in Liam's mouth and just fucking ride Liam's throat until he comes. _Fuck, that'd be amazing._ Hell, Liam's mouth is pretty goddamned amazing as it is; Liam sucks cock not like a man who's been paid to do it and not like a teenager who's fumbling his way through it, but like a man who's been doing it most of his life and isn't afraid to choke until he gets it just right. He's fucking fantastic.

He also doesn't back off when Christian's close, and from the sounds Christian's making, Christian knows it's got to be obvious that he is. He's not begging, though he's sure Liam would like it if he did; any man who collars his boys while they're doing nothing but reading on the couch has got to love begging. _You're gonna have to tell me to do it, you bastard. You're not just going to get that out of me for nothing._

When he comes, though, he comes hard and deep and he can't imagine how Liam doesn't choke on it. If there's a trick to that, Christian might just have to pick it up; it'd get him some nice tips, he's sure about that.

Instead of choking, though, Liam pulls back and rises up, grabbing Christian by the back of the neck and kissing him. Christian opens his mouth; he can guess what Liam's doing, and when he tastes the sourness of his own spunk, he knows he was right. He does what he's sure Liam's expecting him to do: he licks his come out of Liam's mouth, licks everything from the corners of Liam's mouth to the underside of Liam's tongue, and when he's got it all, he pulls back so Liam can watch him licking up the one drop Liam lost down the side of his chin.

He raises his eyebrows, then--_Good enough?_\--and Liam laughs. He ruffles Christian's hair, which makes Christian roll his eyes, but then Liam gets back up and takes a seat in his armchair again. "Your instincts are dead-on," he says. "Ten weeks of training and you could serve anyone you wanted, write your own contracts."

"There you are again with your training." Christian stands up and gets his clothes back in order. "This is a one-time deal. I'm not interested in training."

"What you're not interested in is submission. Or no--you'd rather not _admit_ you're interested in submission. I've known plenty of boys like you."

"I'm sure you have," Christian says, eyes shooting a clear message of _fuck you_ at Liam while he says it. "I'm sure you bring all kinds of poor kids home with you, show off the house and the money and wave food and clothes and shelter at them, and then what? Use them up and toss them out? How many have you been through in the last year?"

Liam doesn't react to all the anger. "More than ten. Fewer than twenty. You can leave if you'd like. You don't seem entirely immune to food and clothes and cash on the table yourself--you haven't even asked how much I'm planning to pay you for being here."

Christian doesn't rise to the bait, doesn't ask. He knows from experience that most people give you more than you'd ask for, and it's often better to let them set the price. The richer they are, the more they're willing to pay, and Liam's got more money than Christian's ever seen in one place if the house is anything to judge by. "So I'm not immune," he says. "It doesn't make me slave material."

"Being a slave is a job, not an identity," Liam says. "People always seem to have difficulty making that distinction."

"Don't you?" Christian slips a finger through the O-ring on his collar and raises an eyebrow. "You're expecting me to look the part whether you're fucking me or not."

"The look is part of the job," Liam counters, "and it's a uniform like any other. A bit less restrictive, depending on who holds your contract."

_Why am I talking about this?_ Christian wonders. _Why am I even having this conversation? Read the goddamned book, Christian; he'll fuck you when he's ready to. It's not like slavery has anything to offer. Christ._

He sits down on the couch again, stretching out across it. Liam follows him, leaning up against the back of the couch and looking down at him.

"Given all the freedom in the world, you're choosing to stay on my couch and wait for orders. What difference would it make to you, having a contract in hand that says you're mine for an hour?"

_An hour_, Christian thinks, and as soon as he thinks it, he grits his teeth together. _Fuck. You're actually listening to him._

"Six hours. Twelve. A day?"

"What do I get after a day?" Christian asks. There's a part of him that's cursing a blue streak for having asked the question, but God, Liam isn't going to give up on this, and he's right about the fact that Christian isn't leaving, despite the freedom to do so.

Liam grins down at him. "A week's worth of new clothes, food while you're here, a thousand even after taxes--I'll handle the paperwork--and an introduction to the club I use when I'm not picking boys up off the street. They're always on the lookout for boys like you."

"I'm sure they are," Christian snaps. Seven days of clothes, food, and a thousand dollars--in exchange for twenty-four hours of his life. Twenty-four hours where someone else _owns_ him, where Liam can take what he wants, do what he wants.

Liam has a point. Christian wouldn't be doing a damn thing differently, contract or no. He's guessing Liam won't pay a thousand if the papers aren't signed, and a thousand would keep him from having to do any of this for a long time. A couple of months, if he's careful, if he's lucky.

"One day," Liam says quietly, reaching down and sliding his hand up Christian's leg. Christian shifts under that hand, spreading his legs apart, and Liam presses the heel of his hand down against Christian's cock. He's not hard again, not yet, but he could be if he wanted, if Liam keeps touching him. Liam's good to look at, decent in bed, hasn't hurt him--and if they're doing this on the books, Christian can make sure it's in his contract that Liam _can't_ hurt him, and he'll have legal protection afterwards if things go badly--and all he's asking for is a day.

Christian puts a hand on top of Liam's to hold Liam's still. "One day retroactive to last night, when you brought me here." It was late, nearly midnight. That cuts out half the day, and Christian knows Liam won't go for it, but he might as well aim high.

"Noon to noon," Liam counteroffers. "It may take an hour to do the paperwork, and it'll give you time to back out if you truly can't bear the thought of it."

"Retroactive to eight. When I woke up. The paperwork's your idea; it should come out of your time, not mine."

"Done," Liam says, squeezing Christian's cock. Christian grunts and shifts underneath him; _now_ he's hard. The one part of his body that's not the least bit hesitant or concerned about what he's doing seems to be the part Liam's most interested in right now. Trying not to feel defeated, Christian can't deny that it's convenient.

Liam unzips Christian's fly and slips his hand in; Christian wiggles out of his jeans and boxer-briefs, pushing them down around his thighs. Liam's at an awkward angle, but he has long arms and big hands, and in a minute or two he's got the right rhythm to get Christian pushing up into his hand.

"You're going to love being here," Liam murmurs. And right now, right here--even if it's just while he's getting off--Christian wonders if Liam might be right about that.

_-end-_


End file.
